Since our luck ran out and left us here
by Serenya
Summary: A life in peace? Minako never really believed in this. She should be proven right when she met three old friends, who'd made her way back to earth to ask for help. (Set after the stars season)
1. Chapter 1

_~I own nothing but the idea to this story~_

_So, I'm done with an epic Sailor Moon marathon. It started totally harmless when a music channel here brought the episodes back on TV, but of course I became addicted again (maybe even more than I've been when I was a child) and had to watch it all as fast as possible. I fell in love with it again, especially with the last season and the Starlights. _  
_So I just had to write this story, and I'm gonna build it around my secret OTP, Minako and Yaten. But no worries, the others will get their 'screentime' as well. :D_

_So, this is to never growing up... ^^_

Minako grabbed her sports bag and left the gym.

Volleyball training was long over, but she always liked to stay there for a while longer, practicing on her own, only accompanied by the sounds of her footsteps and the balls hitting the walls and ground. She felt really worn out today, like all her energy was being drained away from her.

Minako usually loved the tiredness in her bones that followed a good workout at the gym, but this was different.

Her steps were slow and slightly unsure while she headed through the night towards the flat she moved into about four months ago. It had been about time, really. She was a college girl now, after all. She needed a place on her own. Alone.

Well, technically not completely alone. Artemis still was with her. And her friends, the other girls, came over every few days to have a cup of tea and catch up with each others lives.

Still, she felt alone. Their friendship wasn't as close anymore as it used to be, after the constant fighting for the safety of the earth had stopped each girl followed their own path.

_'We fought so hard for the dreams of every single person here'_, she remembered Usagi's words, a few weeks after the great battle against Galaxia._ 'Don't you think now it's time to fight for our own?'_

They all had agreed with her at the time, maybe a bit hesistantly but still. Minako hadn't trusted the peace yet. For her, it was only a matter of a couple more days or weeks until their next, maybe even stronger enemies came and tried to threaten the world.

She had been wrong. Nothing bad happened since then. Nothing to fight against – and nothing to fight _for._

Minako sighed softly. There were days when she missed the troublesome times. She'd somehow felt more alive, with the constant vision of her own death in front of her eyes. Yep. She was definitely a little crazy.

"Hey sweetheart."

Minako stopped and turned towards the voice. "Sorry? Are you talking to me?"

"Sure." The were the sound of footsteps, then a young man came out of the shadows and stood directly in front of her. "There is nobody else here, isn't it?"

"Hai, right." Minako chuckled nervously and met the stranger's eye, which seemed dark as the night itself. A night without stars. A cold and lonely night.

Minako tried to brush those thoughts of, but she felt uneasy. "So, can I help you?", she asked and tried a smile.

"I bet you can. How about we help each other?", the stranger purred and pushed Minako against a stone wall. "We are both lonely tonight. Spend a little time with me, sweetheart. I'll make sure you won't regret it."

The blonde girl willed her heartbeat to slow down. Focus, she told herself. Panic never helped anybody.

"Look, I'm sure you're a great guy", she rambled. "But I don't have that much time on my hands. I have to leave right now, to be honest. I've got people waiting for me."

"Let them wait for a little longer." The stranger grabbed Minako's long hair and and pulled it.

The girl whimpered in agony. "Please, don't..."

She slid her hands into the pockets of her coat and searched for her magic pen. She hadn't used it quite a while, but thank god she still carried it around everywhere she went.

"Venus crys~"

"Shut up!"

Before she really understood what was going on, the man had grabbed her hands and held them together above her head. No way to reach the pen, so she wasn't able to transform. Tears started to form in her eyes. The situation went out of control. "Help me", she whispered. "Anyone, please... please..." Minako closed her eyes and tilted her head away.

"I told you before, we're alone out here."

"I wouldn't be too sure."

Minako's eyes snapped open when another voice cut through the darkness. Only a heartbeat later the stranger was pulled away from her.

She was free. Someone came to help her.

Minako pressed the back of her hand against her mouth and slit down the wall, her knees trembling too much to hold her body weight.

There were faint sounds of fighting, but she didn't pay attention to it. Now that it appeared to be over, she noticed how scared she really had been. Without her Venus powers, she was nothing. She wouldn't have had a chance against the guy, not the slightest.

"So, we came back and the first situation we stumble into is you being harassed by some random guy. How did you manage not to kill yourself while we were gone?"

Minako looked up when someone joined her on the ground. There was something familiar in that voice. "I..." Her voice broke when her blue eyes met green ones. Eyes she hadn't looked into for so long.

"Minako? Are you alright?"

"...Yaten?"

The green eyes narrowed slightly before the person nodded. "I see, you remember me. But you used to be more enthusiastic when we met before." He smiled lightly and combed his silvery bangs out of his forehead.

"You... you're back?" Minako wasn't able to form a proper thought, let alone a sentence.

"Hai. Come on, get up. Taiki and Seiya made sure that the man won't do you anymore harm."

"You... all are back?"

"We're gonna explain that later, alright? Come up now, before you catch a cold."

Yaten got up first and took Minako's hands to pull her into a standing position as well. He noticed right there and then how much the girl was shaking and was quick to lay an arm around her to hold her up.

"Seiya, Taiki. I could use some help here", he called.

Minako steadied herself and managed a faint smile when the other two men came closer, watching her with a worried expression.

"Minako-san. Are you hurt?"

"No. You came... you..." Minako swayed a bit, enough for Seiya to rush to her other side and grab her as well. "I'm tired", the blonde girl whispered eventually.

"Let's get you home", Taiki suggested. "We'll talk another time, when you got some rest."

"You're staying?"

"For now, yeah."

"Do the others know..."

"Not yet. We'll explain everything, but it has time."

"In fact it hasn't", Minako heard a quiet whisper, but when she turned her head to watch Yaten again, the boy didn't look at her. Maybe she just imagined that whisper. Maybe it had just been the wind.

Whatever, it had to wait for another day.

The tree starlights walked the exhausted girl back to her flat. When there were only a quarter of the way left, Seiya lifted Minako up and carried her for the rest of the walk, not wanting her to break down. Minako rested her head against his shoulder and gave instructions which way to take. When they reached the flat, Seiya let her down so she would be able to unlock the door.

Yaten noticed her trembling hands and took the key himself to let them in.

"This way", Minako managed and led them to the living room, where she crashed down onto a couch and took a deep breath.

While the boys sat down as well, Artemis appeared. He meowed in surprise when he noticed that Minako wasn't alone, but when he recognized the figures he jumped onto the table.

"Artemis", Taiki greeted the white cat with the half moon symbol.

"Taiki, Seiya... Yaten", he answered, eying the latter warily. He hadn't forgotten the crush Luna had for this guy. "What happened?"

"They helped me", Minako announced quietly and relaxed against Yaten's arm, who became stiff in return, but didn't pull away. Artemis tilted his head and jumped forwards onto the couch, so she could reach out for him and cuddle him. "There was a guy who wanted to... he..."

Artemis licked her hand gently.

"We came in time", Yaten continued. "Nothing happened, we brought here home to make sure she's okay."

"Thank you", Artemis said seriously. "You... this is not a courtesy visit, isn't it?"

Seiya shook his head. "Danger is coming, a force too mighty to defeat for us alone. We need help."

"We want to meet with the senshis tomorrow. We'll explain everything then, but maybe we should let her get some rest now." He pointed towards Minako, who'd managed to fall asleep already, still leaning against Yaten's upper body.

"Sounds good", Artemis nodded. "I'll contact Luna to let her know what's going on. Meet me here again tomorrow, I should know more by then."

"Hai." Taiki got up and looked at the other two. "Are you coming?"

"As soon as you tell me how I should get out of _this_", Yaten grumbled and watched the face of the sleeping girl.

"Just lay her down, it isn't that hard", Seiya snickered and stood next to Taiki.

Yaten glared at him, but followed order nonetheless. Carefully not to wake her up he placed Minako on the couch.

"We'll find out on our own", Taiki told Artemis. "See you tomorrow, then."

"Good night."

The cat watched the three men leaving the flat. He sighed and climbed onto Minako's stomach to find himself a comfortable position. That wasn't good, it wasn't good at all. The senshis had all settled into a normal life, he felt sorry for them to put them out in the war again.

Probably it had been foolish to hope that they could live in peace from now on. There would always be an evil power out there, and it was just a matter of time until it found it's way down to earth.

It would never really stop.


	2. Chapter 2

"We're still waiting for Usagi", Taiki announced and gazed around the room. "I don't want to tell everything twice.

""Some faults don't grow out", Rei groaned, a subtle hint of annoyance in her voice. They all had met at the Hikawa shrine when they were told that the Starlights returned. And of course it had to be Usagi who showed up shouldn't be surprised at all, right?

Seiya smiled quietly. Well, it was good to see that some things didn't change. Others did, quite a lot. Just to look at the girls made that clear. They all had grown up, behaved more mature than they used to when they last met. They may have left some girls behind, but found some women when they returned.

He turned to his brothers and smirked. They also did change, didn't they? Especially Yaten had grown a lot, he was almost the same size as Seiya was by now.

The sound of quick footsteps made all of their heads turn towards the door.

"I'm sorry. Sorry sorry sorry!", Usagi panted and stumbled into the room.

"Where have you been?"

"I thought we all should hear what's going on."

"We all?"

"We all." Haruka entered the room, her face deadly serious. She was followed by Michiru, who nodded and smiled as a greeting.

"Setsuna and Hotaru won't be able to come, but we'll let them know what you're about to tell us", Michiru explained with her gentle voice. The Starlights looked at each other in surprise. In their memory, Michiru always sounded harsh and merciless, this sharp contrast really came unexpected.

"Sit down everybody", Rei suggested and gestured towards the furniture. "I want to hear what's trying to destroy everything and kill every living soul this time." Her tone was a bit bitter, she had been just fine without the constant fighting. She still worked at the family shrine, ran courses for children and studied hard to become a miko.

"The rulers of seven planets from another solar system. As we were informed, they call themselves the magnificent seven. I can't tell you what exactly 'they' are, it might be possible that they are something close to Sailor Senshis themselves."

"What do you mean, magnificent?", Minako asked skeptically. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"Don't let yourself be fooled by something as ordinary as a name. That's stupid", Yaten scolded.

Minako pouted, but Taiki slowly raised his hand to stop her from answering. "He is right. They are dangerous. Maybe more than everything else we have experienced until now. Everyone has his own power. You might know them as the seven deadly sins." He frowned and shook his head. "I don't want to see Kinmoku being destroyed again. And I also don't want your world to end."

"What do you mean by that?", Haruka asked sharply. "It seems like of the truth is missing. You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Do we really have to start all over again?", Taiki groaned in annoyance. "Didn't we prove that we aren't the enemy when we fought side by side last time?" He threw a short gaze towards his youngest brother, but looked away almost immediately. It happened almost to quick to notice at all, and if Seiya wouldn't have copied the exact action, Michiru would have just let it go or not even caught it. She flipped her long hair back and placed a hand on Haruka's arm.

"I think you are right", she said, her eyes fixed on Taiki. "But Haruka is also right. You are holding something back. Something about him." She pointed towards Yaten, who watched her back, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Haruka, Michiru", Usagi warned. "Stop it. They are our friends."

"No, they... they are right", Yaten muttered and lowered his gaze to escape all of the surprised faces that were turned to him just a moment later.

"Hey. Are you sure?", Seiya whispered disbelievingly, but shrugged when his brother nodded.

"If we want them to trust us, they have to know everything."

"Yaten?", Minako asked encouragingly when the silver-haired boy fell silent, obviously in a loss of words now. She reached out to touch his shoulder, but pulled her hand back without completing this task. When she remembered right - and she was pretty sure she did - Yaten never used to be the 'touchy' type of guy. He always preferred to handle his stuff on his own.

Makoto and Ami exchanged a look. The situation was so weird that it seemed almost unreal to them. It had only been yesterday when the two of them had last met.

How different it had been! They'd made plans to go clubbing this weekend, had talked about inviting Rei, Minako and Usagi because it had been way too long since the five friends had been on the road together. And now? Now there was a new evil power, so dangerous that even the proud Starlights decided to come back and ask for help.

"Ah, whatever it is, just spit it", Rei smiled. "You don't think you'll scare us off, don't you?"

"It's not exactly easy", Yaten confessed and pressed his lips together tightly. He flinched a bit when something jumped in his lap without any warning, but relaxed quickly when he identified said 'something' as Luna.

"It never was easy, nor will it ever be", the black cat purred and tilted her head to catch Yaten's eyes.

"That's true", Yaten nodded and fondled the fur between Luna's ears before he put an arm around her, finding immediate comfort in the touch. "The source we have our information from, that's not... I don't know, a person that came to warn us or a message that was teleported or... you get it, right? It was me."

"You? What do you mean?", Usagi asked bewildered.

"It's hard to explain." Yaten lifted his head and finally looked at the others again. "I have this dreams, they started a few months ago and~"

"For real now? Dreams?", Haruka interrupted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You came here because you had a few bad dreams?"

"See? This is why we didn't want to tell you at first", Seiya hissed and glared at Haruka. "Let him finish now, will you?"

"How do we know he is reliable?"

"You don't", Yaten admitted openly. "And I can't make you believe me, that is only your choice. But I can guarantee you that I wouldn't make such a fuss if it was nothing more than a few nightmares. I brushed it off as those as long as it was possible. But it became more intense with every night, and ignorance can be dangerous, too." "He shuddered, causing Luna to snuggle deeper in the embrace and Minako to put her fingers lightly on top of Yaten's hand, which was balled into a fist. It was rare enough that the boy showed vulnerability.

"I believe you", she stated as he didn't pull away from her touch. "But I don't know if I really get it. Do you need our help or are you here to warn us?"

"A little bit of both, I guess", Taiki answered for Yaten. "From what we figured, they will first appear here and later on Kinmoku. But they are too powerful for either of us to defeat on our own. We have to join forces."

"And what makes you think so?", Michiru asked.

Yaten sighed and rubbed his forehead as he noticed a headache starting to form. "Can we safe the details for another time?", he asked quietly.

Michiru narrowed her eyes and studied the boy in front of her for a moment before she nodded. "Okay. Let's say these seven... What was it again?"

"The magnificent seven", Amy repeated, surprising everyone when she spoke up. "Seven deadly sins. I've read a few books about that topic." Well, that on the other hand surprised nobody. "But I never thought of them as persons."

"But that's good, isn't it?", Makoto asked. "If they are a kind of persons, they can die. We can defeat them. Right?"

"We don't know", Seiya admitted and watched Yaten closely, who still seemed to be in pain. It wouldn't be unexpected, though. There had to be a lot of emotions in this room, and he as an empath would be drowned by them without any mercy. Usually he tried to block his abilities when he was around many people, but since his visions had started he didn't dare to anymore. The risk to miss an important fact or even just a little puzzle piece was too high.

"The only thing we know is that those seven creatures are able to influence people. Greed, envy, pride... they can detect the dark spots in the soul, which everybody has."

Haruka opened her mouth to protest, but Taiki interrupted her before she was able to form a word. "You know, this isn't about taking control over bad people, it can happen to everybody. Just a tiny bad habit, and they can get in and grow their evil seed."

"So you mean nobody is safe?", Rei asked, braiding a strand of hair loosely just to keep her fingers occupied.

"What I mean is that we all have to be really careful. All of us."

"We have to talk to Hotaru and Setsuna", Michiru announced, exchanging a short smile with Haruka while she got up. "But speaking for the two of us, you can count us in. We'll be there when we're needed."

"Thanks", Yaten said tiredly, more exhausted than he was willing to admit.

The two outer senshis nodded and left.

The meeting only went on for a couple more minutes before they decided to wait for the reaction of the two remaining senshis.

There was nothing they were able to do at this moment, and everybody could use a break.

Minako slowly went away from the shrine and wandered over to her car without saying goodbye to anybody. She didn't get in, though. Instead she leaned against the driver's door and waited for the Three Lights, how she still couldn't stop to call them in her head.

She'd arrived together with the boys, who'd shown up in her flat earlier - totally unexpected by the way, claiming to have a date with Artemis.  
From what it looked like, she might have to wait a while. Seiya didn't as much as think about leaving Usagi's side and Taiki stood in a corner, having a quiet conversation with Ami. But she didn't mind, it gave her time to progress what just happened. This was one of the times, she didn't feel like being around people.

Sometimes she needed a little silence.

Minako closed her eyes when she heard footsteps, pretending to soak in a few rays of the still pale spring sun, not willing to let her moment of peace go just yet.

The steps came to an end right next to her, but nobody tried to talk to her. How refreshing. The person didn't leave either, and finally curiosity took the best of Minako. She opened her eyes again and turned her head, just to discover Yaten, who was thoughtfully staring in the distance.

When he felt her eyes on him, he also turned his head to look at Minako. "Quite a lot to think about, right?"

"I don't know what to think", Minako admitted.

Yaten turned his full body towards the girl, watching her in interest. "You? You always seem to have some wild party in your mind, and you don't know what to think?"

"I'm not that bad anymore", the blonde girl smiled. "You could say I grew up, I guess."

Yaten nodded. He detected a hint of bitterness behind her words, a feeling that he couldn't really place.

"All I know is that yesterday my life was normal. A little boring maybe, but normal. And now I have to be Sailor Venus again, and to be honest, I missed her. But the others shouldn't have to fight. They are so happy."

"They are important to you, right?"

"They are basically my family."

"And why don't you mind to have to fight again? Are you unhappy?"

"Do you know that this is maybe the longest talk you and me ever had?", Minako said quickly to end the topic, plastering a smile on her face.  
Yaten decided not to push anymore. It wasn't his business after all. But somehow Minako seemed to have changed the most of all the girls, and it was an interesting change.

They fell quiet again. Yeah, right. Minako was quiet. That was something so unusual that Yaten couldn't stop himself from observing the girl, who once more had closed her eyes, from time to time.  
He was almost glad when Seiya and Taiki joined them.

"You have to tell me where I can drop you off", Minako ordered and started the engine.

"Tzz", Seiya teased. "And there she is, trying to find out our new address as soon as possible. Still the little fangirl, hu?"

Minako giggled. "Well, if you prefer walking..."

"Ah, no. We'll guide you."

Soon enough they reached the apartment. Minako stopped the car and waited while the three guys climbed out onto the pavement.

"Thanks for taking us."

"Bye!"

"Bye", Minako answered, but didn't make a move to start the car again.

Seiya, Taiki and Yaten shared confused looks.

"Are you okay?", Taiki finally asked.

"Yeah, it's just..."

"What?"

"You know what? Never mind. Take care boys, see you in a few days." Minako laughed and reached for her key, but Yaten' reached through the window and stopped her by holding her wrist.

"You want to come in?", he asked.

Minako blinked. She had wanted to be alone, right? But now that they were about to split, the thought seemed much less appealing than it had at the shrine. "Would it be okay?", she whispered.

Yaten pulled back, his face regaining the usual look of faint annoyance. "I asked you, didn't I?", he snapped and turned around to get to the door and open it.  
Seiya and Taiki started to laugh when their eyes fell on Minako's face.

"Oh, you'll get used to it again soon enough. He is still the same grump he's always been.", Seiya promised in between chuckles.

"Do you know I can hear you?", Yaten inquired.

"Of course."

"Brat!"

Taiki smirked as his brothers started to bicker. "Come on Minako, you can keep me company while they are quarreling."

The girl smiled and left her car. "Well then, lead the way."

_Thanks for the follows. faves and the review. I didn't know what to expect when I posted the first chapter, but you guys made me really happy and to know that there are a few people out there who like what I'm writing makes it so much more enjoyable. xx_


	3. Chapter 3

Three Lights' apartment was approximately twice as large as Minako's flat, she estimated as they entered. It had huge windows, so it was nicely lit, but it seemed terribly impersonal. Minako hadn't expected anything else, though. Considering the fact that they'd just appeared on the earth's surface the day before, it was almost a miracle that they already got a place to live at all.

She wondered how they'd managed to get it that fast. Maybe they had some special abilities she didn't know about, like mind control or something.

"It's nice", Minako announced while she followed the boys into the living room.

Taiki shrugged. "It's just some place."

Minako nodded, although she wasn't sure if she shared this opinion.

A flat always gave something about it's owner away. The way it was decorated, the furniture, sometimes even the feeling you got when you entered... it mirrored the personality of the person who lived there.

It would be a fun topic to discuss, but she figured the three boys wouldn't get her point anyway.

Minako decided to file that topic away for her next talk with Ami.

She sat down into a comfy looking armchair and bit down her lower lip. Maybe she should have left instead of joining the guys. It was pretty obvious they didn't feel the need to be entertained. Seiya went into another room and closed the door behind himself while Taiki busied himself with a book almost immediately.

"What are you reading?", Minako asked to avoid an awkward silence.

Taiki held the book up so she was able to read the title.

_'Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies'_

"Wow", Minako breathed and rubbed her nose. "You don't waste any time, right?"

"Why should we?", Yaten asked bitterly. "Do you want to hang around and wait for them to get us? I, for myself, prefer to survive."

"Well..." She didn't know how to answer that.

"Know your enemy. When just a bit of truth can be found behind those words, it's an advantage for our team", Taiki explained. "We all need to prepare. Do you think you're still able to fight after all this time?"

Minako smiled and tilted her head. "I am a Sailor Senshi since I've been thirteen years old. I don't think it's something you lose. Maybe I'm not in the best physical shape I ever was at the moment, but I still believe in my abilities. It was always our focus to protect this planet, and our princess... and the dreams of every human being. That didn't change. So I guess... everything will come just naturally, as long as I have something to fight for."

Yaten leaned back and watched her silently, leaving it up to Taiki to discuss the matter.

"Isn't that a bit naive?", the brunette boy asked. "Knowing that you got powers isn't the same as being able to control them."

"Why? Don't you believe in yourself?", Minako countered.

Taiki blinked, slightly taken aback. "Well... yes, I do. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"So can't you understand me? I don't think about the fight itself, I never did. I think about the things I fight _for_. And I believe that that is what matters most."

Yaten stood up and went into the kitchen to grab a few bottles of water, although he wasn't thirsty at all. When he returned, he sat down onto a different spot on the couch than before, closer to Minako.

Not because he wanted to be close to her, he emphasized in his mind. Yeah, maybe the drinks had just been an excuse to move and change his place, but he wasn't willing to admit it, not even to himself.

The thing was, there was such a warm, beautiful feeling radiating from Minako right now. So... confident, faithful, and full of love. It was strangely soothing to his soul, and also his headache slowly started to wash away.

Yaten relaxed into the cushions.

Taiki raised a brow. He didn't remember seeing his usually so restless brother that calm for weeks, even months.

Maybe it had been good for him to spill his secret, when he told the others about his visions and learned that they trusted him.

He figured his brother could use some time for himself now, so he got up. "I'm tired, I think I'll leave you alone now, Yaten", he yawned, hoping that Minako would get the point.

She didn't.

"Sleep well", the girl beamed and grabbed one of the water bottles from the table.

Taiki shrugged and left. If Yaten wanted to be alone, he could speak for himself. He wasn't a child anymore, after all.

Minako drank a sip before she placed the bottle onto the table again.

Now that she was alone with Yaten, he started to become a bit nervous, though she didn't know where that came from. Maybe it was the fact that the silver-haired boy still didn't talk. He just sat there, his eyes closed, breathing evenly.

Minako folded her hands in her lap and cleared her voice. "I guess I should also leave, right?", she asked hesitantly.

Yaten opened his eyes and watched her quietly for about half a minute, as trying to figure out what to do with her.

"Stay", he answered eventually.

The blonde girl smiled and nodded, leaning back as well.

That meant he wanted to spent time with her, right? The thought made her happy. She'd always liked the complicated boy, but he had been pretty reserved towards her.

Yaten almost sighed gracefully as he noticed that the stabbing in his head finally faded completely. He vaguely remembered that she always had this trusting aura, but now that he was so open for every feeling, it was surprisingly strong. Or had it really become that much more evident?

That was also possible. He suddenly noticed that he knew as much as nothing about Minako.

"Can I ask you something?", she whispered after a while.

"Depends."

"Do you know when it starts?"

Yaten took a deep breath and sat up more straightly. "Not really, but... I guess soon."

Minako nodded. "That's fine, I guess. So in your visions, they won?"

Yaten pressed his lips together. "They won."

"But... how did you know they defeated us before? Why isn't it possible that they came straightly to Kinmoku?" She leaned forwards and rested her elbows on her knees, her eyes silently questioning him.

"Minako..." Yaten sighed. "I've seen things in my dreams, and I couldn't help it. I still can't. But I could feel that it was real, I swear."

"I never doubted that." Minako hesitated, then she reached out towards Yaten, her hand stopping only a few inches away from his body, settling for the armrest instead in the very last second. "I just wondered if they showed you what happened here. If you have any ideas how they defeated us."

Nervously he licked his lips. It was her right to ask, he had to give her that, although he would prefer not to answer her question.

"No", he said, his voice trembling barely noticeable. "But I witnessed a fight on our planet against one of them, a woman. I guess all of them are, but I'm not quite sure. She wore a long, yellow dress, the same color as her eyes." Yaten's own eyes shut again, he was reviewing the scene in his mind.

Minako's heart pounded against her chest. She couldn't look away from the momentarily rather pale face, from the quivering lips which started to talk again.

"Avaritia. That was her name. I don't remember many details, though. But she is the princess of greed. She takes whatever she wants – and she wants the powers of the persons that lost the battle against her before. Eventually it was my turn to fight against her."

Yaten lifted one hand to cover his face as the memories took over, his other hand balled into a fist.

"_Fighter!", Sailor Star Healer cried out when she watched the warrior fall down to the ground. She ran towards the dark-haired Senshi. "Are you okay?"_

"_I'm... fine", Fighter pressed through gritted tears, her body violently shaking. "Just... give me a minute."_

"_Okay." Healer nodded, well-knowing that they hadn't a minute left if something wouldn't change really fast right now. They needed a miracle._

_A few steps away, Sailor Star Maker was fighting against someone else, but through the fog and dust she couldn't identify who it was._

_Healer sent a quiet prayer up that her friends would be okay once this was over and ran forwards._

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"_ Her eyes widened disbelievingly when Avaritia wiped her attack away with only one movement of her hand._

"_Oh, I like that", the yellow-eyed purred. "It will fit amazingly into my collection after I ended you."_

"_Collection?", Healer inquired._

"_Oh, you want a few examples?" Avaritia smirked. "What do you think about... _Burning Mandala!_"_

_Healer managed to escape the rings of fire that were directed towards her, a cry somewhere stuck in her throat. _

_She'd seen this attack before, didn't she? But... that would mean... No, that wasn't possible!_

_Sailor Mars! She remembered the raven-haired girl from earth, her powerful control over the fire element. How could Avaritia get those powers, if not..._

_Healer felt her blood run cold. Could that be? Had she managed to defeat the earth's senshis?_

"_No." Her green eyes sparkled angrily. "You'll regret this. I'll make you regret. _Star Sen~_"_

"Venus Love-Me Chain!_"_

_Before Healer was able to progress what was happening she felt a sharp burning that knocked her off her feet. She tried to lift herself up again, but she couldn't manage to steady herself enough to be victorious._

"_Venus", she whispered, feeling tears prickle in her eyes._

_Mars, Venus... what was about the others? Were all their friends on this planet far away... dead?_

_She lifted her head up just enough to see Avaritia calmly walking over to her. _

_She'd failed. So whatever fate the others had suffered... She would share it in a few moments. She~_

"Yaten..." A hand untangled the fingers of his fist and gently rubbed over the skin. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked..."

Yaten's eyes opened slowly. He looked around confused, before he finally focused his gaze onto Minako's face.

Her blue eyes shimmered suspiciously bright. She didn't know if he was aware that he'd talked the entire time, letting her relieve the scene as a quiet viewer. Possibly not, she figured. He'd been totally absorbed into the story.

She'd already tried to talk to him and guide him back into reality a minute or two before, but he hadn't reacted at all. It had been a bit scary.

Minako swallowed, her throat bone-dry. Sure, they all knew that it was a possibility that they would die fighting, but to hear that she really would be gone if they failed was something different.

"I scared you", Yaten noticed when he'd calmed enough to take in his environment. He cupped Minako's face with one hand and wiped a forming tear out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm gonna die", she breathed, feeling a little lightheaded.

"Don't say that!"

Minako could have sworn that the boy moved in lightening speed, only one heartbeat later his face was directly in front of hers, green eyes angrily piercing into her own.

"Don't you ever say that again", he scolded. "We came here first. We will fight together and change the fate."

"At least we'll try."

"No." Yaten shook his head. "I've already seen you die right in front of me one time. I won't let that happen again."

He looked at her with such an intensity, that Minako didn't know anymore where the dizziness in her head really came from. "Don't make any promises", she murmured.

"Minako..." Yaten still didn't back away. "Remember what you said about the things you fight for, earlier?"

"Sure", the blonde girl answered, not sure where this was heading.

"That's not only true for you. We Starlights, we are also fighting for our planet, for our princess. I don't want to see Kinmoku destroyed again. But there's more to it. We are also fighting for _your_ planet, _your_ princess... and our friends."

"Yaten..."

"Do you trust me?"

"I... um, sure."

"Then stop crying." Yaten stood up and went a few steps through the living room before he stopped and turned towards Minako again. "We will change the future. With Galaxia, we almost failed because we avoided working with you Senshis for too long. Now we're fighting together from the beginning on. The enemies don't know anything about that, I hope. So I guess we really have a chance."

"Okay." Minako took a deep breath and got up as well. "Who would have known that you were one to give people prep talks?" She tried a smile. "I have to tell the others about all of this, though. About... Avaritia?"

Yaten nodded. "I know."

"Is that okay for you?"

Yaten shrugged. "It's important that they know, and I guess I prefer not to have to tell it over and over again."

"Then~"

"Is Minako still there?" Seiya rushed into the room, almost running into his brother and the girl. He hadn't expected them to stand that close behind the door.

Minako giggled. One one hand she could kick Seiya for ruining her moment with Yaten, but on the other hand it was nice how the mood lit up again when they stopped talking about fighting and death even for a moment. "I am", she announced.

"Obviously." Seiya grinned. "Can you write down all the numbers of you girls? I just ordered us mobile phones, so we can stay in touch more easily."

"Sure", Minako pulled out her own phone. "Just get me something to write."

It only took a few minutes until she got all relevant numbers scribbled down, handing the piece of paper to Seiya.

"I think I'll leave now", she decided. "Thanks for letting me stay here."

"No problem." Seiya grinned. "Was our little grump here at least good company... ouch!" He glared at Yaten, who'd punched against his upper arm pretty hard.

"I'll show you who's a grump..."

"Um, boys?" Minako waved her hand between the brother's faces. "Goodbye."

"Sorry. See you, Minako."

Although she'd learned a few really scary things today, she couldn't help but smile when she got into her car. It was good that the boys were back again, she decided, no matter what the circumstances were.

She only wished she could really believe that they'd be victorious once more.

_I sometimes feel like I'm using the weirdest grammar, so if it's getting to bad or starting to disturb the story please let me know ^^ _

_Nishu96  
__Thanks for the lovely review, I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter ;)_

_odango  
__Thank you! I know, there are way too less Minako/Yaten stories, right? I love those two together ^^_

_yolara153__  
Your wish is my command ;) I was almost finished this chapter when I stumbled across your review, so here we go now ^^_


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay, I guess that was all", Minako finished, looking at her fellow Sailor scouts. She'd just told them everything Yaten said the other day.

They all seemed slightly taken aback. Of course they did know about the dreams and visions of the silver-haired Starlight, but that they were so graphic came as a surprise to everybody.

"Avaritia", Ami murmured, already taking notes. "And she is able to take the power of the people she kills. Did he say anything about the other six creatures?"

Minako shook his head. "No, he didn't."

"He should have told us when all of us were together. I've got so many questions..."

Minako looked down. She could understand that he hadn't said anything. To be honest, she didn't quite believe that he really _wanted_ to tell her, he just had to inform anyone.

She wasn't able to forget his face at that moment, how his lips had quivered and his forehead wrinkled in agony when he understood which attacks the evil woman had added to her 'collection' lastly. The pain had been evident in all his features.

"Don't", she pleaded suddenly. The other girls looked at her in confusion. "Don't ask him too much. When there is something important, he'll let us know, I'm sure."

"What's going on with you?", Rei asked and raised a neatly trimmed brow. "I haven't seen you getting so defensive about anyone for ages."

"Oh, you're still after him, aren't you?", Usagi demanded to know and crept closer to her friend. "Spill it, Mina. Are you two... involved, somehow?"

"Nonsense." Minako crossed her arms in front of her chest. "They just arrived two days ago and with all the events going on, when would we even have time to get involved?"

"But you want it!" Usagi poked her with her index finger.

Minako blushed. "What? I never said that!"

"You didn't need to!"

"That's rubbish." Minako pouted.

"Hey. Don't tease her." Makoto soothed and took a sip of her tea.

"Thanks."

"You just encourage her, give the poor boy a few days of peace before the Minako-invasion starts."

"Makoto! You betrayed me!" As soon as the cup of tea was placed safely on the table again, Minako jumped up and tickled the brunette.

"And I really thought they'd matured", Artemis sighed, who'd curled up on the windowsill next to Luna.

"You really did?" Luna rested her head against the white cat. "You should have known better."

"I'm afraid you're right." The cat sighed once more, absolutely not willing to leave his cozy place, but got up nonetheless.

"Hey", he demanded the girls' attention. "Is there a new war we have to prepare for or not?"

Minako went back to her place and smoothed down her dress. "But what can we do right now? I'd rather enjoy the time we've left until it starts."

"Oh, I know something you can do." Ami handed Minako a big, boring looking book. "Read this. I already managed to get to page 74, so you can just start from there. You know, just scan the pages for something important."

"Yay. And how should I possibly know what's important and what's not?", Minako mumbled to herself, but bowed her head over the book nonetheless.

"Anyone else here looking for something to do?", Ami asked innocently and smirked when Rei, Usagi and Makoto claimed to be terribly busy all of a sudden. "I thought so."

Most of the information Minako found was completely useless. There was a lot stuff about church going on, but it was rather unlikely that intruders from another solar system cared that much about human spirituality. A few other things she scribbled down though she was still not sure if they were useful at all, but she figured it was better to have a bit too much than missing one important point. Alien enemies who could easily kill them should be taken seriously.

When she'd made her way through 12 pages, her mobile phone rang. The display showed an unknown number.

"Hello?", she answered the call, not willing to give her name away to a complete stranger.

"Minako? It's Seiya."

For one moment she wondered briefly when she had become the person to call instead of Usagi, then another thought crossed her mind and immediate concern was evident in her features. "What's up? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing at all", Seiya was quick to assure. "We just wanted to ask you for a favor."

"I'm listening." Minako relaxed again and smiled towards the girls who were watching here worriedly to show that everything was okay.

"We need to do some grocery shopping, and we still got no car. Mind to help us out?"

Minako beamed. That was the perfect excuse to get out of here. "Not at all. I'm already on my way. Meet me outside in 15 minutes."

"Perfect. Thanks, Minako."

Deeply satisfied the girl ended the call and was met by four pairs of curious eyes. She settled for a simple "I have to leave."

"Yeah, we got that. Secret date? Oh, oh! Was it Yaten?"

"Don't be silly", Minako scolded. "It was Seiya, and he only wanted to borrow my car to do some shopping."

"Seems like you got your old job as their personal assistant back", Makoto couldn't help but tease.

"What can I say? I have the best qualifications." Minako smiled sweetly and grabbed her keys from the desk. "Do you want to stay here while I'm gone?"

"We're gonna finish this quickly if that's okay", Ami decided.

"Sure. I don't know how long it will take, maybe I'll join you again when we're ready."

Maybe. Or maybe not. She would make sure that it would take a while.

When she arrived the Three Light's apartment, nobody was there to be seen. Minako decided on waiting inside of her car instead of getting out and ring the doorbell. Seiya would show up sooner or later. She was a few minutes early anyway.

Eventually the passenger's door opened, and a rather pissed looking Yaten entered the car.

"You?", Minako asked as a welcome. "I though Seiya would join me."

"I'm not here voluntarily", Yaten complained. "We played a weird game which Seiya swears exists on earth, and I lost."

"What kind of game?" Minako glanced over curiously before she started the car again and concentrated on the traffic instead.

"Scissors Rocks Paper?", Yaten speculated. "I'm pretty sure he made it up, though. He was just doing strange stuff with his hands."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it is a real game", Minako grinned. "It's Rock Paper Scissors."

"It's a dumb game", Yaten decided firmly.

"Only because you lost."

"No, that's... well, maybe", he confessed with a sheepish smile.

The girl next to him giggled, and there was it again, that warm feeling that rushed through his body, making him feel relaxed and exited at the same time.

"What did you pick?" Her voice sounded amused.

"Paper, I guess." Yaten straightened his hand and showed Minako the gesture.

"So Seiya did scissors."

"No!" Yaten frowned and clenched his hand into a fist.

"But when he did rock, it means you won", she remarked.

"He said the rock tears the paper into pieces with it's weight.

"Nope. Paper covers rock." Minako folded her own hand over Yaten's fist for a moment, before she put it back on the steering wheel again.

"Son of a...", Yaten cursed. "I should have known that he's not playing fair."

"Who cares?", Minako shrugged. "It's not that bad, isn't it? If you complain any more, I will be seriously offended."

"Okay", Yaten smirked. "I'll give it a fair chance."

"Admit it Yaten Kou, you're enjoying it."

"Don't overdo, Minako." He turned his face towards the window to hide his smile. If he was honest, he could think of worse places to be right now, but she really didn't have to know.

When they reached the supermarket, Minako stopped the car in the parking lot. "Do you guys need a lot?"

"I've got a whole list", Yaten sighed. "I hope you're not too busy today, we might be here for a while."

"No, actually that's great."

On their way inside Minako instructed Yaten to get a shopping cart.

"I always hated those stores", the boy admitted. "How do you find your way through that easily? It's just too much of everything. Luckily we were more at work than at home back then, so we mostly ate on set or wherever we were, and they used to have caterer."

"Oh, you'll get a hang on it pretty quickly", Minako promised. "And, lucky as you are, you have a shopping expert by your side today. Hand me the list."

Two slightly younger girls who were standing a few feet away watched them attentively. "Isn't that Yaten from Three Lights?", the smaller one whispered to the other, but in her excitement she didn't turn her voice down enough. Yaten and Minako could perfectly understand her.

"Oh my god, yes. That could be him. I mean, it looks like him, right?"

Yaten groaned quietly.

That was the one thing he didn't miss about being on earth. The constant chasing after his brothers and himself.

"Let's go over and ask."

"Yeah, let's... oh, you know what? Never mind. I don't feel like walking right now."

"You're right. It's too exhausting."

The girls shrugged it off and turned away.

Yaten blinked surprised while Minako started to laugh. "Seems like you're not such a big number anymore", she teased.

"That's weird."

"Oh, get over yourself."

"No. It's really weird", Yaten insisted. "It was like they were turning 180 degree in a split second."

"That were teenage girls, Yaten. They do it all the time!"

"If you say so..." He rubbed his forehead mind absently. Why did his headache decide to come back just now?

"Excuse me, Miss", Minako cleared her throat when they turned around a corner and a woman stood in the middle of the isle, elbows resting on her shopping cart. When there was no reaction, she tried again. "Miss? Could you move a bit to the side? We have to~"

"Minako", Yaten interrupted and grabbed her arm. "Look around!"

The girl did as she was told. The place here was quiet, unusual quiet. Nobody walked down the shelves to gather the stuff, all people stood in place and looked dumbly into space. A kid even curled up and fell asleep on the floor.

"This... this is not right. It's... Yaten?" Her eyes widened when the boy grabbed his head with both hands and grimaced in pain. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's starting", he pressed through gritted teeth. "Minako. It's starting now."

The words made her heart skip at least a beat. With shaking hands she pulled out her phone to send a mass text to her friends, including Seiya and Taiki. Just the address of the grocery store, with a 'come asap' following. She couldn't focus on anything longer. And even if she could, what was there to explain when she didn't have a clue what was going on herself.

"Will you be alright?"

Yaten nodded carefully. "I'm used to the headache, it just was so intense all of a sudden. But I'll get through."

"Okay. I informed the rest, do you think we should wait for them, or what are we supposed to do? God, I thought I were prepared, but I'm~"

"Can you just stop?", Yaten snapped.

"I couldn't have said that better myself", a slow voice cut in. "You're too boisterous. You need to calm."

They both turned on their heels and came to face a woman who lazily rested her back against a shelf. Minako gasped when she observed her closer. She was shimmering, in a way that made clear that she didn't belong on earth. Her white hair was in a messy side braid, a few stubborn strands framing her face, which was so pale that it seemed to have an ice-blue tint. She wore a short, lose fitting white dress which could have been mistaken for a nightgown.

"I didn't want to come over here, but I had to", she complained. "You were too loud, I couldn't have a rest with you buzzing around. So hectic."

"Who are you?", Minako asked. When she met the woman's piercing blue eyes she felt a chill creeping through her body.

"I'm Acedia. And you talk to much. Time-out, girl."

Silver-blue lightning bolts shot out of her fingertips.

"Minako", Yaten yelled and grabbed her wrist to put her out of aim. He watched her for a moment to make sure she was okay and started running, pulling the girl with him. Hopefully he was right and this woman was the incarnation of sloth, so she wouldn't follow them too quickly. Further and further he dragged her down the maze of supermarket shelves.

Eventually Yaten slowed down, pulled her around one last corner and pressed her flat against the wall. "You're okay?", he asked with hushed voice.

Minako shivered when she felt his breath trailing across her face. "I'm fine."

"You need to be more careful." Yaten stepped back. "We have to transform."

"I know", Minako nodded and pulled out her Crystal Change Rod. "_Venus Crystal Power, make up!_"

"_Healer Star Power, make up!_"

The sky was shining in different colors when the two seemingly ordinary people turned into their Sailor scout ego.

As soon as the transformation into Sailor Venus was complete, Minako felt a strength inside of her she hadn't felt for a long time.

"Ready?"

Venus turned around and nodded shortly. "Always."

"Let's go." Healer jumped up and disappeared of Venus' view.

"You can wait, you know that?" She hurried to follow the other girl.

Soon they'd found Acedia. The landed in front of her, but far away enough that they'd be able to dodge the attacks.

"What? Is this a joke? Who are you clowns?"

"Penetrating the darkness of night. The air of freedom breaks free. Sailor Star Healer, Stage on!"

Healer took in a pose and Venus twirled around herself before she joined her.

"Guarded by Venus, planet of love. I'm the soldier of beauty, Sailor Venus! In the name of Love, I will punish you!"

"You won't do anything but sleep."

The lightning bolts were bigger this time, burning brighter, and they were straightly directed towards Healer. She jumped to the side just a second before they could reach her. "_Star Sensitive Inferno!_"

The power of the collision was enough to knock all three females from their feet.

Healer crushed into a shelf and cried out, causing Venus to run towards her as soon as he was able to get up again.

"Healer. Are you hurt?"

"Be... careful", the silver-haired senshi pressed through gritted teeth. "Be~... behind you."

Venus whirled around.

Acedia had managed to get close enough that she could reach her, and with a strength Venus was surprised the woman had in her she pushed the blonde soldier away. Before she had a chance to react, a fresh burst of lightning hit her and made her scream in agony until she eventually blacked out.

"Venus", Healer whimpered and tried to push herself up.

Acedia turned her interest towards her again. "Stage up", she repeated in a mocking way. "I would say the spotlight is fading now. Take a last bow, before you follow your friend into the land of dreams."

"I'm not going anywhere. _Star Sensitive Inferno!_" Healer gathered all her power to use the attack again, smirking satisfied when Acedia was taken completely out of the blue. She was knocked to the ground again.

But what now? Healer still couldn't get up, her shaking arms and legs simply refused to hold her body weight. It was only a matter of time until Acedia would return, and she wouldn't be able to defeat herself or Venus then.

Healer pressed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. This wasn't a time for weakness, she had to fight, no matter it's costs.

"You're starting to annoy me", Acedia hissed. "Time to make you shut up."

"_Shine Aqua Illusion!_"

Acedia froze in place, her hand already pointed towards healer.

The hurt girl sighed thankfully when the other Sailor Senshis entered the scene.

Sailor Moon said a few words to the paralyzed women, but Healer didn't really pay attention. The pain was enough to make her breathless.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Fighter and Maker appeared next to her.

"Nothing." Healer tried to smile, but even that hurt right now. She winced. "Just a bit bruised."

"Do you need something?"

"I need..." She gasped. "I need you to shatter that bitch."

Fighter and Maker looked at each other and nodded. The turned and joined the fight again.

"_Star Gentle Uterus!_"

"_Star Serious Laser!_"

Acedia broke down, the full might of the impact too much for her to bear.

They had no need to hold their powers back this time, since Acedia was a creature from another planet that never had been human, it wasn't possible for Sailor Moon to heal her. And far more important, she had hurt their sister. She had to pay for that.

Without feeling any mercy they watched how her body began to flicker and finally disappeared completely.

The girls sprinted towards Venus as soon as they were sure that the danger was over.

They were relieved when she reacted to their words, opening her eyes slowly.

Luckily Acedia's powers didn't last after her death.

"But all in all, that was surprisingly easy", Mars remarked. "I had imagined them to be mightier."

"_Oh, we are!_"

"What?"

Sailor Moon turned around when an foreign voice started to talk. "Who is... Healer?"

The Starlight soldier was standing again, but her limps were still slack. She seemed to be pulled upwards by invisible strings.

"Healer, can you hear me?" Fighter reached out to touch her, but backed away when Healer raised her head. Her eyes weren't their usual green, they shone in a rich shade of violet.

Venus followed the events from the ground, her eyes wide in fear.

"_I'm afraid your friend Healer isn't available right now._" The voice was a bit muffled, like a phone call from a different country sometimes could be.

"Who are you, and what have you done to her?"

"_Don't get rattled, she's alright. She's watching us right now, I just took the control over her body for a minute._" She held her hands up and watched them with interest. "_I'm too curious if I could kill you like that... defeated by your friend's powers. But I'm impolite. Let me introduce myself, my name is Superbia. I'm one of the ones you are looking for._"

"Get out of her, you creature!" Fighter balled his hands into fists.

"_You know that you'd hurt her when you hit me, right? I only want a little talk. You owe it to me, you just killed my sister after all. I'm a bit upset._"

"Well, she tried to kill us first." Venus, who'd managed to get up again, grabbed Jupiter's shoulders to steady herself. With a worried look, the taller girl wrapped her arm around her friend's waist.

"_Do you think this is a joke?_", Healer, or rather Superbia, yelled. "_I thought you'd understood by now that you never will defeat us. You're friend here was watching us for a while now, that didn't go by unnoticed._" She laughed evilly. "_Well, a door can be used from both sides. She found us, and made us aware of you too. But from what it looks like, you are not much of a threat._"

"We just finished your sister", Maker reminded her. "One is down, six are going to follow."

"_Acedia wasn't worth to be the ruler of a planet. She never was much of a queen, all the opportunities she wasted because she never did anything. I had no use for her anyway, so I figured she was the one to test the waters._"

"You sacrificed your own sister." Sailor Moon shook her head. "How could you do that? You're a monster."

"_Nobody needs the weak ones._" Superbia turned slowly around herself, facing the soldiers one by one. "_Thanks to you I don't have to deal with her myself, so I'm not going to kill you today. It will be fun to see you try and fail. Remember, I'm watching you._"

She smirked a last time, then Healer's eyes faded back to green. She blinked twice in confusion before she broke down without a sound.

_I'm sorry it took a while to finish that chapter, I had a busy time at work. I have a few days off now though, so the next one will hopefully be online sooner :)  
I hadn't imagined fighting scenes to be that complicated to write. I hope you were able to follow along well enough. ^^_

_Nishu96  
__I know, I also love it when the two of them are together. Sometimes I have to force myself to get the other people into the story again :D_

_LoveInTheBattleField  
__Thank you, and I liked the mother's day saying you added_

_WiOvIx__ (I got that right, didn't I? ^^)  
Thanks for your comment, I'm happy you like it :)_

_odango__  
And your review had made my day, thanks ;)_


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